"Poor Kitty!" she said, "you've done your part for to-day, I think; I'll do the rest. Ellen, dear, it's of no use to tire ourselves out at once; we will go moderately. Keep hold of my cloak, my child; it takes both of my arms to hold this big cat. Now, never mind the snow; we can bear being blown about a little. Are you very tired?" "No," said Ellen, "not very; I am a little tired; but I don't care for that if we can only get home safe." "There's no difficulty about that, I hope. Nay, there may be some _difficulty_, but we shall get there I think in good safety after a while. I wish we were there now, for your sake, my child." "Oh, never mind me," said Ellen gratefully; "I am sorry for _you_, Miss Alice; you have the hardest time of it with that heavy load to carry; I wish I could help you." "Thank you, my dear, but nobody could do that; I doubt if Captain would lie in any arms but mine." "Let me carry the basket, then," said Ellen; "do, Miss Alice." "No, my dear, it hangs very well on my arm. Take it gently; Mrs. Van Brunt's isn't very far off; we shall feel the wind less when we turn." But the road seemed long. The storm did not increase in violence, truly there was no need of that, but the looked-for turning was not soon found, and the gathering darkness warned them day was drawing towards a close. As they neared the bottom of the hill Alice made a pause. "There's a path that turns off from this and makes a shorter cut to Mrs. Van Brunt's, but it must be above here; I must have missed it, though I have been on the watch constantly." She looked up and down. It would have been a sharp eye indeed that had detected any slight opening in the woods on either side of the path, which the driving snowstorm blended into one continuous wall of trees. They could be seen stretching darkly before and behind them; but more than that--where they stood near together and where scattered apart--was all confusion, through that fast-falling shower of flakes. "Shall we go back and look for the path?" said Ellen. "I am afraid we shouldn't find it if we did," said Alice; "we should only lose our time, and we have none to lose. I think we had better go straight forward." "Is it much further this way than the other path we have missed?" "A good deal--all of half a mile. I am sorry; but courage, my child! we shall know better than to go out in snowy weather next time--on long expeditions at least."